List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Kansas explained

This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Kansas. It includes the year in which the men were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are men who achieved other distinctions such becoming the first in their state to graduate from law school or become a political figure.

Firsts in Kansas' history

Lawyer

• First African American male: John H. Morris (1871)^[1]

State judges

• First African American male: Cordell D. Meeks Sr. (1939) in 1972^{[2] [3]}
• First Asian American male: Tommy B. Webb in 1988^{[4] [5]}
• First African American male (Third Judicial District): Joseph D. Johnson in 2005^[6]

Federal judges

• First Hispanic-American male (U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas): Carlos Murguia (1982) in 1999^[7]

United States Attorney

• First African American male: Benjamin E. Franklin from 1968-1969^[8]

District Attorney

• First African American male: Mark A. Dupree, Sr. in 2017^[9]

Public Defender

• First African American male: Joseph D. Johnson in 1975^[10]

• First African American male president: Mark Dupree in 2024^[11]

Firsts in local history

• G.W. Jones:^[12] First African American male to serve as the County Attorney for Graham County, Kansas (1896)
• Joseph D. Johnson: First African American male appointed as a Judge of the Third Judicial District in Kansas (2005) [<nowiki/>[[Shawnee County, Kansas]]]
• Mark A. Dupree, Sr.: First African American to serve as the District Attorney of Wyandotte County, Kansas (2017)

See also

• List of first minority male lawyers and judges in the United States

Other topics of interest

• List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States
• List of first women lawyers and judges in Kansas

Notes and References

1. Book: Smith, Jr., J. Clay. Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. 1999-01-01. University of Pennsylvania Press. 0812216857.
2. News: Kansas' first black district judge... . tribunedigital-orlandosentinel . 2018-01-11.
3. Upon Meeks' appointment as a district court judge in 1972
4. Web site: Center Welcomes First Asian Judge of Kansas. 2016-04-04. The Center for Law and Culture. en-US. 2020-01-13.
5. Upon Webb's appointment as a Judge of the Twenty-Sixth Judicial District in 1988
6. Web site: Shawnee County District Court Judge Joseph D. Johnson to retire. Taylor. Lisa. April 6, 2018.
7. Web site: District of Kansas Carlos Murguia. www.ksd.uscourts.gov. 2018-01-19.
8. Web site: History of the United States Attorney District of Kansas. 2014-12-15. www.justice.gov. en. 2019-01-05.
9. Web site: Mark A. Dupree, Sr.. kckps.org. 2019-01-15.
10. Web site: Stanley . Diana . 2021-03-26 . Hon. Joseph D. Johnson . 2024-06-07 . Journal by Kansas Bar Association . en.
11. Web site: McDaniel . Jarrod . 2024-07-01 . Mark Dupree Named First Black President of the Kansas Bar Association . 2024-07-16 . The Community Voice . en-US.
12. Web site: William L. Sayers - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society. www.kshs.org. 2020-03-12.